Chapter 19: Discovered

 

        Yuna stood in the craft shop admiring the acrylic paints. It had been a quiet afternoon; Sung Kyu had gone off bar hopping, leaving her alone.  Sometimes though, that’s how she preferred it. No rude and random outbursts, no fighting. It was better, she supposed.

        She walked over to the counter to pay for the paints. The cashier smiled at her.

        “Oh, you are an artist?” she asked, bagging the paints.

        “Yes.” she simply answered.

        “Are you interested in taking one of our daily art classes?” she pointed over to the opposite wall. There were several doors with signs hung on them, displaying the different mediums that were taught there such as “pottery” and “painting”.

        “How much is it?” Yuna asked.

        “Per class, 50 ¥.” she replied. Yuna nodded.

        “Are they in session now?” she asked.

        “No, they start in about ten minutes.” she  said. Yuna set 50 ¥ on the counter.

        “I’d like to take the painting class, please.” The girl took her money and  in exchange, gave her a ticket.

        “Give this to the instructor at the beginning of class.” Yuna nodded.

        “ありがとう (arigatou).” she grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. As she headed in, someone caught her eye. Minki. He was headed into the pottery class.

        ‘I didn’t know that Minki was a potter.’ she thought as she  took a seat at an  easel. The easels were set in a circle, with a risen part of the floor in the middle. As she sat there, the rooms slowly began filling up with elderly people, and a few university students. The door opened once more to reveal a tall, proud young woman with long black hair. she smiled as she shut the door and walked over to the class, her skirt waving back and forth as she whipped an apron off a stool and tied it around her waist, and went to stand in the middle of the easels.

        “Konichiwa! Watashi wa Yuuki desu. I will be your instructor. Please come up in a single file line and hand me your tickets please. Then, we shall start class.”  Everyone in class got up from their seats, and one by one gave her their tickets.

        “Alright, now, today I want to to paint me,” she went over to a counter and grabbed a stool and a bowl of fruit. She sat them in the middle and pointed at them.  “This . You can use any type of paint you want. I want you to express to me, your interpretation of this bowl of fruit. Make it your own.”

        Two hours went by as Yuuki went from student to student, critiquing and commenting on their work. She stopped at Yuna’s easel and smiled.

        “Wow, this is a beautiful painting. Do you paint often?” she asked. Yuna nodded.

        “Yes, all the time.”

        “You are very talented. Have you ever sold any of your paintings?”

        “Yes, I have; I also have several paintings hanging up in various art museums and galleries in Seoul.”

        “Wow, that’s wonderful!” Yuuki exclaimed in amazement. “What brings you to Japan?”  she asked.

        “Winter holiday. My friends and I have a break from our studies, so we decided to come here.”

        “Have you covered any other mediums in your art work?” she asked.

        “Yes,” said Yuna, excited that someone finally wanted to ask her about what she like to do for a change. “I paint, draw, sculpt, I’ve even made pottery before.” Yuuki smiled.

        “Really? Would you like to attend my pottery class? My class meets tonight at six.” Yuna smiled.

        “Of course, that sounds wonderful!” Yuuki dug into her apron and  brought out a ticket. She handed it to Yuna.

        “You're going to need this to get in.” Yuna accepted in and put it in her bag.

        “ありがとう, Yuuki-san.” Yuuki smiled at her.

        “No problem. You seem like an ambitious young woman, I would like to get to know you better!” Yuna smiled as Yuuki patted her on her shoulder, and went to check on the other students.

        After class, Yuna helped her clean up.

        “You don’t have to do this, you know.” Yuuki said as she picked up brushes and brought them to the sink.

        “That’s alright, I want to help.”

        “So, I never did get your name, Miss...?”

        “Yuna, Song Yuna.”

        “Yuna, what a lovely name.” she commented. Yuna blushed. “Well, Yuna-kun, it’s nice to meet you.”

        “It’s nice to meet you too, Yuuki-san.”

        “What do you do in Seoul, Yuna-kun?”

 "I go to YoungHwa High School

 " Oh! So young, I had no idea! You seen very mature for someone in high school."

 "This is my senior year. Next year I plan to New York City to study art after I graduate." "Those sound like big plans, are you sure you are ready for such responsibilities?"

"Of course I am. Besides, I need to establish myself before marriage." Yuuki was taken aback.

"Marriage? Why would a young girl like you think of marriage so soon?"

         "Well, my parents have arranged my marriage. Its ben that way for the past two years. After I graduate from university, I'll be married." Yuuki shook her head.

 "It seems that you have a lot on your plate for someone so young. Why an arranged marriage? How long have you known this man?"

  "With the lifestyle we live, we need security to make sure we are taken care of, and that we are not taken advantage of.”

 "So, your family is well off, I assume?"

"Yes, we are."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how well do you know this man?" Yuuki asked.

"Well, not really. I've known him for quite some time, but he's never really opened up to me emotionally. He seems cold and distant. I thought that once we get married, perhaps he'll change." Yuuki shook her head.

"Seems like jumping into a pool with your eyes closed to me. Will there be water to cushion your fall, or will it be empty, and leave you hurt? I don't think I could take that sort of chance. I'd rather marry someone I love." She finished putting the paint brushes away and wiped her hands on her apron and smiled.

"So, I'll see you later then?" She asked. Yuna nodded.

"Of course!" She walked out of the classroom, second guessing herself.

        Ga In sat on the bed, patting Chaerin on her back. She had been crying for hours now. Ga In was really starting to get worried. She had never seen Chaerin so emotional. Not even when her mother had been hospitalized. Her eyes were red and swollen, tears streaming down her cheeks. Ga In was surprised that she still had tears left.

        When Hyun Joong had rejected her, something inside her clicked. All the emotions that she had been holding in all those years, finally had been forced their way out into her mind from her subconscious. She couldn’t stop crying. As hard as she tried, the tears just kept coming. All her insecurities began to surface.

        Was she not good enough? Wasn’t she pretty enough? Was it because he found her to be too mean? Was she not his type? What was wrong with her?

        She couldn’t figure any of it out. She was confused, and felt so alone. She wished her mother was there to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. She trusted Ga In, but she didn’t feel secure enough to tell her everything. She thought she had everything pulled together, until she was rejected by Hyun Joong. She could feel herself unraveling at the seams.

        Vince hailed a cab and bid them farewell.  Hyorin, Taeyeon, and Jaejoong stood there awkwardly as the cab drove off. No one knew what to say.

        “Well,” started Hyorin. “That was rather...awkward.” Taeyon and Jaejoong nodded.

        “What if this gets back to your mother?” Taeyeon asked Hyorin. Hyorin’s eyes widened.

        “Aw !” she grabbed her hair. Jaejoong looked confused, looking at the two women back and forth.

        “Wait a minute, how do you know her mother?” he asked Taeyeon. The two women looked at each other. She needed to think of something fast.

        “Well, like I said before, Hyorin is my friend.” she replied. Jaejoong raised his eyebrows. He didn’t believe a word of it. He looked back at Hyorin and gasped.

        “Wait a second! I know you, you’re Hee Sun’s sister!” he looked from her to Taeyeon and grimaced.

        “What was this?” he asked her.

        “What was what?” asked Hyorin. She felt a storm coming, and felt she was severely under prepared for it.

        “This whole thing, with your sister, with her.” he pointed at Taeyeon. He turned to her. “Was I ever your friend? Is this some sort of joke? What if this does get back to her mother? I’m engaged to her sister, and now my future business partner thinks I’m engaged to you. What if somehow, he meets her and says, ‘Gee, your daughter Taeyeon is great.’ Do you even know what that woman is like?! Do you?”

        “Jaejoong, I am your friend, I never meant for this to happen. I didn’t even know you were here!” she exclaimed. He turned to Hyorin.

        “And you! Do you want your mother to murder me? If it gets back to Korea that I was seen with a woman that isn’t a co-worker or a relative, it will not only put a mark on my reputation as a businessman, but as a trustworthy person. Do you understand me?” Hyorin glared at him.

        “Oh, I do. But my sister’s happiness comes before your business any day.” His eyes widened.

        “What do you mean?”

        “I won’t have you marrying Hee Sun, not while I’m still breathing. You don’t know her, you don’t even know what she looks like, do you?” she asked. She shook her head. “Well, it doesn’t matter, because she’s in love with someone else, and I’m going to make  sure  that they are happy together.” she grabbed Taeyeon's wrist. “Come on, Taeyon.” Taeyeon looked back at Jaejoong, who looked dumbfounded.

        Yuna arrived back at the craft shop at six o'clock that night. She was surprised to find Minki there, sitting at a pottery wheel, molding what looked like a vase. He looked up from his work, and smiled.

        “Hey Yuna! What you been up to?” he asked, motioning for her to come over. She walked over and pulled up a stool.

        “Nothing really, just wandering around.” Minki smiled slyly at her.

        “Oh really? Are you sure it wasn’t you that I saw earlier walking into one of the other art classes?” Yuna blushed.

        “Ok, so I suppose I’ve been doing a little more than nothing.” he smiled at her as he molded the neck of his vase.

        “You seem to know what you’re doing, have you been doing this long?” she asked. He nodded.

        “For a couple years now. I had the opportunity to become a very famous potter’s apprentice in Italy once, but my parents were against it. “You can’t make money doing art for a living, it’s a hobby, not a job,” they said. They made me stop taking classes outside of school, and so I got a job at the garage. That’s where I met Heejun and the other guys.” Yuna was surprised.

        “Really? You didn’t all grow up together?” she asked. He shook his head. 

        “They did, but I moved to Seoul in middle school. I’ve never told the guys about this either, as far as they know, I know how to draw. You won’t tell them, will you?” Yuna shook her head.

        “Your secret’s safe with me, Minki.” He smiled.

        “Thanks, Yuna, I knew I could count on you.”

        “So, what are you making now?” she asked, pointing at his vase.

        “A vase, I thought I’d make one for this girl I liked.” Yuna smiled.

        “Oh, how sweet of you.” He blushed.

        “Would you like to help?” Yuna’s eyes widened.

        “You want me to help you?” He nodded.

        “Yea, sure. Come on!” He got up, and signaled for her to take a seat on the stool. She got up and sat down in front of the vase. He took her hands and set them on the clay. It was slightly warm from his own hands. He put his foot on the pedal, and slowly began to pump it. Clay spread in between her fingers as they smoothed over and shaped the vase. Minki guided her hands up to the neck, as he took one hand and placed it in the mouth of the vase, and began to shape the top.